HTR8/SVneo cells are an important component of the placenta to establish blood circulation. Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha (PPARα) is a key factor regulating lipid metabolism. This study aims to clarify the influence of PPARα on human trophoblast cell function. The constructed PPARα expression vector and PPARα small interfering RNA were transfected into HTR8 / SVneo cells, respectively, to detect changes in cell function. EdU method and MTT method were used to detect cell proliferation, flow cytometry was used to detect cell apoptosis, and transwell chamber method was used to detect cell migration and infiltration capacity. The number of samples in each group is not less than three, and the experiment is repeated three times. The experimental data were statistically analyzed using GraphPad Prism 6 software. Data were processed using t test and analysis of variance. P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. The results showed that PPARα overexpression inhibited the proliferation, migration and infiltration of trophoblast cells and promoted apoptosis (P < 0.05, Fig. 2a, 3a, c, 4a, b, 5a, b, 6a, b); knockdown of PPARα promoted cell proliferation, migration and infiltration, and inhibited apoptosis (P < 0.05, Fig. 2b, 3b, d. 4c, d, 5c, d, 6c, d). The level of PPARα expression is negatively correlated with its effect on cell growth and migration.